Don Lemon: Who Won The Democratic Town Hall, Hill or Bern?

The first votes will be cast there in the caucuses in less than a week.

Last night in a televised town hall on CNN, the democratic candidates got the chance to give their final pitch to voters.

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders went first vowing to do away with President Obama’s health care plan and raise taxes while doing it.

“If we move toward a Medicare for all not only do we cover the needs of all people, including that gentleman, we will save middle class people thousands of dollars a year on their healthcare bills because now we pay by far per capita much, much more than any other country on earth. It is time in my view for us to have the courage to take on the insurance companies, take on the drug companies and provide healthcare to all people at an affordable cost.”

Hillary Clinton’s campaign has gone to great lengths trying to prove that Sanders wants to raise taxes on Americans with his Medicare-for-all plan, and last night Sanders confirmed it.

Raising taxes may not sit well with a lot of voters, but the moment that drew a big applause for Sanders was his call for a political revolution.

“If we are serious about rebuilding the American middle class if we are serious about providing families paid and medical leave to all of our people. If we are serious about ending the disgrace about having so many of our children live in poverty real way to do it is have millions of Americans stand up and say enough is enough!”

The reality is that Bernie has gone from long-shot to front-runner challenger, running neck-to-neck with Hillary in Iowa; even leading in New Hampshire.

Clinton, feeling the Bern, came to play last night.

Her first question, by the way, from a Sanders supporter, questioned her honesty and lack of support from younger voters.

“I just keep going forward they fall by the wayside. They come up with these outlandish things, they make these charges. I just keep going forward because there’s nothing to it. They throw all this stuff at me and I’m still standing. But if you’re new to politics, if it’s the first time you’re paying attention you go ‘oh my gosh look at all of this’. And you have to say to yourself why they are throwing all of that. Well I’ll tell you why: because I’ve been on the front lines of change and progress since I was your age.”

Like I said, she came to play – and to win!

And then there’s Martin O’Malley, the only candidate to mention Black Lives Matter and crime among young black men.

But he hardly made an impact in a forum clearly dominated by two liberal, political powerhouses.

Last night was all about HRC and the Bern.

Next week will be the same when Americans finally start to do what’s really important in any election, vote!